Brussels: “Europe for Tibet” a campaign launched in the European Parliament on 9 April 2024 ahead of the 6-9 June European election has now concluded after exceeding its target to garner more than 100 pledges from candidates to support Tibet in the European Parliament if elected. A total of 115 candidates from 16 EU member states have committed to defend the fundamental freedom of the Tibetan people. In addition, a number of political parties have responded to questionnaires taking a position on a number of Tibet-related issues.
Representative Rigzin Genkhang of the Office of Tibet Brussels said:“In view of China’s relentless attacks on the fundamental rights of Tibetans in Tibet, it is crucial that the new Parliament reaffirms and redoubles its support for the non-violent freedom struggle of the Tibetan people. It can do so by prioritising the re-establishment of the Tibet Intergroup, which is pivotal in ensuring that Tibet remains a priority for the European Parliament.”
The Representative attributed the success of the campaign to the active participation of the International Tibet Support Groups, V-TAG members, SFT and Tibetan communities in Europe who effectively mobilised candidates running in the European election to pledge their support for Tibet, resulting in a significant number of pledges being collected in just two months’ time.
Moving forward, it will be important to further engage with the newly elected MEPs to ensure that they follow through on their pledges of support.
The joint online campaign was led by the Office of Tibet, Brussels, Tibet Interest Group of the European Parliament and ICT with the support of the Offices of Tibet in London and Geneva and ITN.
Visit EU4Tibet.org for further details.